Sleepboot voor de Waterloo Bridge in Londen c. 1890

Willem Witsen made this print of a tugboat on the Thames in London using etching, a printmaking technique with a long history. The artist would have coated a metal plate with a waxy ground, drawn an image into it with a needle, and then bathed the plate in acid. The acid bites into the metal only where the needle has exposed it, resulting in an image that can be inked and printed. Here, Witsen's choice of technique is particularly resonant. The etched lines evoke the industrial atmosphere of London, and the repetitive nature of printmaking mirrors the mass production that defined the era. But there’s also a hand-worked quality to the image, a sensitivity to the textures of the water and the weight of the bridge. By combining a mechanical process with artistic skill, Witsen reminds us that even in the age of industry, human ingenuity remains essential.